Method of copper brazing



. METHOD FY COPPER BRAZING Henry D. Stecher, Lakewood, and Joseph Numan Paquin,

Euclid, Ohio,

assignors to The Weatherhead Company, Cleveland, Ohio, acorporation of Ohio Original application February 15, 1940, Serial No. 319,046. Divided and this application May 3, 1943, Serial No. 485,524

s claims, (ci. 113-112) This invention relates to methods of copper brazing. The invention is described herein in conjunction Jwith the manufacture of dehydators such as are used in refrigeration systems, but it is to be understood that this description is given only by way of example, and that the method is useful in the manufacture of various other articles and d'evices. This application constitutes a division of our co-pending application Serial No. 319,046, filed February 15, 1940,' nolw Patent No. 2,323,160, issued June 29, 1943.

The art of copper brazing is well known and is Widely used in joining togetiherparts composed of ferrous material, Briefly, the copper brazing process is carried out by assembling the parts to be joined, supplying metallic copper to or adjacent the contacting surfaces of the several parts and passing the assembly through a brazing furnace having a reducing atmosphere in which the temperature of the parts is raised to about 2200 F, At this temperature, and in the proper atmosphere, the copper becomes fluid and forms an alloy with the adjacent surfaces of the ferrous material. The molten Copper wets the ferrous surfaces, is drawn by capillary attraction between the contacting surfaces of the parts, and upon cooling, forms an extremely strong alloy bond throughout substantially the entire con tacting areas of the parts. The copper is sup plied in various ways known to those skilled in the art. For example, the parts maybe electro-plated with copper, or smallv copper wires may be disposed adjacent the contacting surfaces before the assembly is placed in .the furnace.

The process is widely used and is especially advantageous in the manufacture .of articles made up of a plurality of stampingsv However, the very fiuidity of the copper in the brazing furnace has heretofore imposed limitations upon the use of the method. Because of its uidity, the copper may flow into places where it is not wanted, secure together parts that are supposed to remain separate, and even dissolve some materials with which it comes in contact. It is a general object of the present invention to provide a method whereby these difficulties may be obviated. Another object is to provide an efficient and economical method of protecting surfaces from the action of molten copper in the brazing furnace. Another object is to provide a method of treating ferrous surfaces which will prevent the copper from wetting them during the braziney operation. Another and more specific object of our invention is to `provide a method of making dehydrators and the like, wherein a wire screen screen within a copper brazed assembly ,wlhile` is brazed into place in the assembly. Afurther object is to provide a method of securing .wire

preventing the copper from damaging the screenf Further objects and advantages o f theinvention will 'become apparent from the following description of a preferred form thereof, reference being made to the accompanying drawing. The essen`v l achamber made up of a central cylindrical section III,- and end members II and'A I2, preferably in thel form of hollow' stampings having flanges adapted to embrace the central section, and

drawn portions I 3 and I 4, respectively, Aadapted for connectionwith the fitting I5 and the tube I6. w

In the completed dryer, the central portion of the container is -substantially filled with fine granules of silica gel,\indicated at' I8, which are retained in position by fine mesh screens, I9 andl 20. The edges of the woven screen material are preferably housed by channel section rings 2| and 22. As. shown in the drawingrthe screens fit within the end members or caps I I and I2, being disposed between the inwardly extending, generally radial portions 23 and 24 and the end faces 25 and 26 of the tubular member I. While the engagement between the channel section members and the adjacent end members and central member Ill may be sufficient to retain the screens in position, the screens are ypreferably brazed in position by our method which will be described in greater detail below. One of the screens, 20 for example, is provided with a spider 28 and a central opening 29 as shown in Fig. 3. This opening is employed in filling the container with the silica gel and thereafter is closed by the plug 30.

The various rparts are illustrated in position for assembly in Fig. 2 of the drawing, and as shown therein, all of the parts are of simple and inexpensive construction; thus, the body portion I0 may comprise an inexpensive section of tubing; the end members II and I2 are identical stamping which may be made readily and eco- LIlC .Uhl/1115 lil .l5 a 511111.11@ DMW llilll UL WCM.- known design, provided with a slotted projecting portion 32, for engagement with the neck I3 of the end member I I, and the member I6 is merely a small piece of tubing having one end flared, as indicated at 21, and adapted to engage within the neck portion I4 of the end member I2. Obviously, various other fluid connection devices may be used in place of the members I5 and I6, these particular devices being shown only by way of example,

In assembling the various parts, the portion 32 of the fitting I5 may be inserted within the neck I 3, of the member I I, preferably with a light press fit. After these parts are assembled, the fingers 33 of the neck portion 32 are expanded outwardly into engagement with the inner surface of the member II, taking the position shown in Fig. l. By this means, the fitting I5 is firmly held in position. Similarly, the tube I6 is inserted through the neck portion I4 of the member I2 until the flared end 2'1 of the tube is firmly in engagement with the inner surface of the neck portion. Thereafter, the screens I 9 and 20 are inserted within the end members, II and I2, and finally the end members II and I2 and associated fittings and screens are assembled with the central tubular member IO.

The assembly is then ready for the brazing operation which is preferably carried out as described above by supplying metallic copper to or adjacent the contacting surfaces of the several parts and passing the assembly through a brazing furnace having a reducing atmosphere in which the temperature of the parts is raised to about 2200 F.

After the assembly is removed from the furnace and cooled, the dryer may be completed by pouring the required quantity of silica gel, or other moisture absorbing material into the central chamber, and closing the opening 28 by the plug 30, all as described in our aforesaid application.

As stated above, the copper becomes very fluid during the brazing operation and has a tendency to cover all of the ferrous surfaces to which it has access. According to our present invention, we eliminate difficulties which might otherwise occur by reason of the flow of the copper by applying to certain of the surfaces of the ferrous parts a material which will prevent the copper from wetting such surfaces` By this method, certain parts can be protected from the action of the copper, for molten copper, under ordinary circumstances, will not even flow across the treated surfaces. Preferably, the surfaces to be protected are chromium plated, or otherwise coated with a material containing chromium. The presence of the chromium apparently prevents the copper from wetting the underlying ferrous surfaces and thus prevents the formation of the copper iron alloy in the protected areas and prevents solution of the underlying material in the copper.

In the manufacture of dryers such as described above, it is particularly undesirable to have the copper reach the screen material, for screens composed of Monel metal wire are especially adapted for devices of this type, and at furnace temperatures the molten copper has a tendency to dissolve such screens. To prevent this from taking place, the steel channel rings 2I and 22 binding the screen material are coated with a thin layer 36 containing chromium, as by plating,

peripheral edge portion tnereor, as indicated at 31 in Fig. 4. The chromium prevents the copper from coating the underlying steel, so that the copper will adhere to the steel only Where the chromium plating has been removed as at 31. By this means, the screens can be brazed firmly in place, but the protected areas of the channel members 2I and 22 prevent the copper from reaching the screens themselves. Alternatively, the material of the screens I9 and 2U may be chrome plated to protect them from the action of the copper. In this case, the steel binding rings 2I and 22 will not require the chromium plating described above.

Obviously, this method of preventing copper from adhering to certain areas of parts during a copper brazing operation, may be applied to the production of other articles and devices. There are many situations wherein it is desirable to protect surfaces from the action of molten copper during brazing operations. Thus various modiiications and changes can be made in our invention without departing from the spirit and scope thereof. Therefore, it is to be understood that the foregoing description of a preferred form of our invention is given only by way of example, and that our patent is not limited t the preferred form described herein, or in any matter other than by the scope of appended claims, when given the range of equivalents to which our patent may be entitled.

We claim:

1. The method of securing a fine mesh, metallic screen within a copper brazed assembly while preventing copper from reaching the material of the screen, which includes the steps of binding the edges of the screen material with a chromium plated strip of ferrous material, removing the chromium plating from the peripheral portion of said ferrous material; assembling said screen with another ferrous member having a portion enga ging said peripheral portion, supplying copper adjacent the contacting surfaces of said parts and passing the assembly through a brazing furnace to fuse the copper and form a bond between said peripheral edge and the adjacent ferrous parts, the chromium plating preventing the molten copper from owing over said ferrous binding and cn to said screen during the brazing operation.

2. The method of securing a member which is adversely affected by molten copper within a copper brazed assembly while preventing copper from reaching said member which includes the steps of binding said member with a strip of ferrous material, said ferrous material having its surfaces adjacent said member chromium plated and its peripheral portion unplated, assembling said member with another ferrous member having a portion engaging said peripheral portion, supplying copper adjacent the contacting surfaces of said portions and passing the assembly through a brazing furnace to fuse the copper and form a bond between said portions, the chromium plating preventing the molten copper from flowing on to said first named member during the brazing operation.

3. The method of securing a ne mesh, metallic screen within a copper brazed assembly while preventing copper from reaching the material of the screen, which includes the steps of binding the edges of the screen material with ferrous material, said ferrous material having its surfaces adjacent said screen coated with a coating containing sumoient chromium to prevent said coating being wet by molten copper in a reducing atmosphere, and having its peripheral portion uncoated, assembling said screen with the bound edge thereof disposed between two ferrous members to be brazed together and with said peripheral portion engaging one of said members, supplying copper adjacent the contacting surfaces of said members and passing the assembly through a brazing furnace having a reducing atmosphere to fuse the copper and form a bond between said members and the peripheral portion of the bound edge of said screen, the chromium preventing the molten copper from owing over said binding of ferrous material and on to said screen during the brazing operation.

HENRY D. STECHER.

JOSEPH NORMAN PAQUIN. 

